


That which speaks through the silenced

by Pintsized_Alchemist404



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Angst and Feels, False is a badass, First hermit fic so go easy on me please, Grian being hurt the fanfiction, Hermits are one big family, Hi hello yes i am super original why would i ever write an overused trope?, I am once again going to hurt my children, I love them all so much omg, Multi, Oops, Spoon Mumbo, Tired dad Xisuma, Watchers-freeform, Winged!Grian, past trauma, supernatural beings are dicks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23920393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pintsized_Alchemist404/pseuds/Pintsized_Alchemist404
Summary: No matter how far you run, your past will always find you. Grian finds this out the hard way. So he runs towards it instead, much to everybody's horror. Doesn't he know that they are a family?Or; a story where eyes are hard to hide, world hopping is surprisingly easy, and in a small patch of grass a lonely flower grows.
Comments: 64
Kudos: 423





	1. Prelude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue how to do fonts and stuff so the texts will look the same as the rest of the story, sorry.
> 
> This is my first fic on Ao3 and my first Hermitcraft inspired work, so please try not to be too offended by how wrong I get everything.  
> Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this nice little calm before the storm.

“I’m telling you, it isn’t me! It's the man in the chicken costume!”

Mumbo crossed his arms, disbelief evident on all his features. The raven haired man glared at him, but there was no real venom in the stare. 

“And you so just happened to be snooping around my base when Poultry Man decided to throw eggs at everything?” He asked incredulously. Grian shook his head as his already big grin grew even wider. He clasped Mumbo’s hand in his own and shook it rapidly.

“Yes, exactly! I knew I could count on you to see the truth, dear Mumbolio! What would a poor man such as myself ever do without a friend like you?”

“Get himself banned from every server he comes across probably.” 

Grian placed a hand over his chest and gasped in a very exaggerated manner. He feigned indignation at his taller friend, who merely looked on with fondness.

“Well, I take back what I said about you. You sir, are cold and uncaring. A hero just came by and saved the day, and now you are slandering me? How dare you.”

The two men held eye contact for a short pause, before both bursting out laughing.The addictive sound lingered in the air for a hot minute before turning into the silent fits of giggles that shake a person’s chest and leave them unable to speak. Grian wiped a stray tear that escaped his eyes and took in a deep, albeit strangled breath. He looked over at Mumbo, who was also finally calming down, then at his-sorry, Poultry man’s work. 

Stray chickens littered the spherical base, many still wet and shivering from being hatched mere minutes ago. Apart from the chicks, a mess of egg shells and yolk covered the glass floors and made them slippery. He winced slightly. It would take quite a while to clean all of it up. Perhaps this was his cue to leave. 

“Welp, this has been lots of fun. See ya neighbor!” Before mumbo could even react, he leaned backwards and fell off the glass platform. Large tawny-brown wings stretched behind him as he plummeted, and he caught the air just a few feet above the ground. He giggled when he looked up to see a tiny mustached face staring at him in shock many meters above him. He flapped his wings and did a few flips in the air before ascending to Mumbo’s height and sticking out his tongue. Mumbo, despite knowing of his incredible flying skills, still looked very pale in the face. 

“Bloody hell mate! You know how I feel when you do that!” he shrieked. 

Grian smirked and saluted him before flying towards his own mega base. Some yelling could be heard behind him, but he was too far away to care now. Salty ocean wind tugged at his skin and feathers, and he dove down to the water, barely skimming it with his flight feathers before soaring towards the cloud once again. Landing inside his base, he opened up his buzzing communicator and looked at the incoming messages.

GoodTimeWithScar was poked to death by a sweet berry bush

Cubfan135: Oof, you ok there buddy?

Ijevin: how does that even happen?

GoodTimeWithScar: it was a very mean bush

Grian put down his communicator and laughed fondly.

Everything was perfect. His new family had adjusted to him and his cheeky attitude very quickly, just as he had adjusted to them. Here, he was free to do as he pleased with nothing to fear. It was his home.

And he would fight to the death to keep it that way.


	2. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scar, Ren, Stress, and Iskall take one for the team and go end busting. 
> 
> Things go terribly wrong.

The hermits were in desperate need for shulker boxes. 

Almost every hermit complained about the lack of the purple containers in every store. The Sahara trio had recently bought out all the boxes in the shopping district and end busted further and further into the end until not a single relatively close city stood unlooted. But even they were in need of more shulkers. A few hermits were being sent into the end relatively soon to solve this dilemma.

Iskall stood in the middle of the shopping district, waiting for the rest of the hermits to come. He had been given the task along with Ren, Scar, and Stress to go for the first shift. He wasn't looking foreward to it too much. While it wasn't all that bad of a task, all of them used to the dangers awaiting them and how to avoid them, it was still an exhausting chore to do. Last time he went end busting, him and Grian had to travel a long distance just to find a satisfactory amount of shulkers.

A sound of rockets exploding hits Iskall's ear and he turns around to see Stress landing beside him, gossamer pink elytra folding in neatly behind her back. She gives him a warm smile.

"Are we the first ones? It's been a few minutes, I thought there would be others already." She asked with a curious tilt of her head. Iskall grins at her.

"They're probably just stalling so they don't have to go." He replies. Stress giggles, the small sound resonating amongst the shops. Another woosh is heard, signifying Scar's arrival. Iskall smirks at the unhappy expression on his business rival's face.

Ren joins them not a moment later, greeting them with his usual bright smile. Now that they are all here, they can depart to the stronghold. 

\-------------------------

Scar never liked the void. It was far too creepy for his liking. Whenever he gazed into it, he felt both nothing and everything. It was far too unsettling. If he fell, it would be a slow and numbing death, one that he would only respawn from weeks later, after his body starts decomposing. He experienced It before, the cold darkness swallowing him up whole until he lost all sense of time. He didn't know how long he was falling for, but when he woke up in bed the darkness still crept near his heart.

That's why he flew as close to the floating islands as he could, making sure he could see the others at all times. Together, they passed island after island, many of which were barren. He felt the curious gazes of endermen as they passed by, and he did his best to avoid their gazes. 

So far they had no luck. The few cities they did find were completely looted. They had to fly further and further, for much longer than Scar was comfortable with. He kept checking the navigational system on his communicator, nervously watching as the tiny coordinates kept increasing in number.

Suddenly, Ren perked up in front of him.

"There! Do you see it? It's another end city!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Scar strained to see what he was pointing at. Just as Ren said, there was a lonely building in the distance. It was still far away to tell if it was already looted, but it was worth a try. 

Soon it came into proper view and Scar immediately recognized the sound of boxes twisting open and the gurgling of shulkers inside. They had finally found some! All four hermits joined together in cheering as they rushed forward with their swords.

The creatures stood no chance, and soon every last one of them was harvested. 

"I think that's enough for now, don't you think?" Iskall asked as they all dumped their loot onto one collective pile. Ren grinned brightly at each of them.

"My dudes, I think we finally did it! Mission success!" He put his hand up, and Stress enthusiastically high fived him. They were all tired, and hearing the confirmation that they could go home lifted their spirits.

Iskall took the pile of items into his inventory and checked his elytra durability in the process. It wasn't nearly enough to get them home.

"I'm going to build a quick enderman xp farm, you guys should probably mend your elytra too." He spoke as he started mining out the terrain to build one. Scar decided to wander around the island while Iskall worked. They weren't in a rush anyways. He sat down near the edge of the island and gazed at the dark chasm facing at them from every direction. No sounds were heard apart from Iskall's mining and the distant murmers of endermen.

It was peaceful.

Then a dark figure appeared right in front of Scar. It grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him to its height. He screamed.

The three remaining hermits came running as soon as they heard the blood curdling noise, each with their swords at hand. Everyone froze at the sight of the strange figure. Iskall's blood ran cold as he tried to grasp at just what this thing that grabbed Scar was.

The figure towered over them. Most of it was covered up by a billowing cloak, but he could also see the brilliant violet and black wings that stretched out many feet behind its back, glimmering with all the star specks of the night sky. Its twisted black fingers were digging into Scar's flesh, drawing crimson liquid. The figure stood over Scar, seemingly not paying attention to the other three players at all. 

Stress snapped out of her dazed shock and charged at the being. Iskall glanced at Ren before they too ran towards it, swords drawn. Unfazed, the being simply raised its other hand and Iskall found the air around him solidifying. At least, that's what it felt like. He strained and tried to shout, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do anything. His eyes darted around as he panicked, noticing that Ren and Stress seemed to be stuck in place as well.

The figure stood in silence, back still turned and focused on Scar, who was making choked noises as he felt the skin around his neck be crushed. Hot tears leaked from his eyes as he struggled to get the claws off his throat. Finally, the creature dropped him. Scar wheezed as he felt the oxygen, however little there was in the end, enter his lungs.

Then the being spoke. It was a strange noise, sounding like multiple voices overlapping into one monotone voice. Yet it only spoke three simple words.

"I found him."

Then Scar felt searing hot pain, and woke up in bed.

He gasped, trembling hands reaching for his neck where mere seconds ago claws had been strangling him. His whole body shook with fear.

What was that?

What about Ren and the others? 

Still struggling to calm his shaking hands, he opened up his communicator.

GoodTimeWithScar was slain by a Watcher

Renthedog was killed by Watcher using magic

Iskall85 was killed by Watcher using magic

Stressmonster101 was killed by Watcher using magic

Scar turned off his communicator, ignoring the rapid string of buzzing it started to create. He curled in on himself as his mind spun with the new information.

A Watcher? What kind of mob is that? Is it even a mob? And what did it mean when it said that 'it found him'? 

Whatever it meant, Scar knew wasn't anything good.

\----------------  
Just a few hundred blocks from where Scar lay in bed, a builder stared at his own device with wide eyes.

They found him. They killed his friends to do it, and any minute now they would be coming down from the sky to take away all that was his once again.

They were going to take away his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp I'm done and I'm tired and I don't know when my motivation will end.


	3. Consoling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy Scar needs a hug. Xisuma realizes that this is much bigger than what he is comfortable with.

To say that Xisuma was panicked was an understatement. As soon as he read the death messages displayed on his visor, the admin knew something was terribly wrong. 

Something had made its way into his world and hurt the people he swore to protect. The worst part was, he had no clue what a Watcher was. Well, almost.

The name of the being was foreign, but for some reason he felt like he knew them. Xisuma was certain that he had heard of something similar. A feeling of unease wormed into his stomach and coiled like a snake. This was something he had experienced, but he had no clue how or when or why. Had he forgotten something? No matter how much he ratted through his brain, he just couldn't quite place his finger on it. 

Xisuma had to shake his head to stop this thought process. Four hermits had just respawned after coming across an entirely new threat. He had to check on them first. Make sure they were Ok. That was his job, wasn't it?

The closest hermit was Scar, assuming that he woke up in his base. As he soared through the sky, his visor kept displaying messages, each more confused and scared than the one before it. Xisuma's eyebrows furrowed as he skimmed through them. He set out to quickly type out his own message to settle the hermits.

Xisuma: Everybody please stay calm. I am heading over to speak to the others right now. A meeting will be called later, but for now, panicking won't do any good.

He didn't read the next messages that came in, but the previous flood seemed to have calmed down considerably. He had passed Mumbo's base, eyes darting to see if he could spot anyone inside. A flash of black caught his eye; Mumbo looking up at him as he flew by, face creased with worry. Xisuma didn't respond because he just couldn't think of what to do. He hated that look, it didn't fit on any of the hermits faces. 

Filled with more determination than before, he picked up speed until finally Scar's volcano island came into view. He wasted no time in searching for the hermit, quickly finding said man still curled up in his bed, hands clawing at his neck.

"Scar?" He asked gently as to not frighten the distraught man. Scar didn't look up. He didn't acknowledge the admin at all. Instead, his body trembled and he curled further in on himself.

Xisuma's heart clenched. Scar had always been very easy to scare, and this experience was definetly terrifying to him. He was always a kind and delicate soul, and seeing him like this was one of the worst things Xisuma had ever felt. Xisuma walked over slowly and sat down on the bed.

"Scar? Can you hear me? I want you to take a deep breath, ok? Can you do that for me my friend?" Xisuma asked gently. "I'm going to touch your hand, alright?"

Softly, he grabbed Scar's hands and pulled them apart from his neck. He clasped their hands together and let in a big breath, hoping Scar would see the initiative and copy his movements.

Scar Was now properly turned to face him, and Xisuma took another deep breath, making sure his inhaled and exhaled could be heard through his helmet. Scar's breathing hitched but Xisuma could tell he was trying his best to follow his lead.

They continued to sit and breathe for another few minutes, Xisuma needing to make sure his friend was fully calmed down before he would ask any questions.

Once Scar seemed fully back in the real worId, Xisuma began to ask his questions.

"Are you ok? What happened?" He made sure to be careful with how he sounded, forcing all the stress and fear out so as to not worry the man. Scar looked down.

"I-I don't know… we were end busting like normal and then-" Scar's voice hitched again, and Xisuma rubbed calming circles on his shoulders. "Oh god what was that thing? It got me and I wasn't able to do anything. It was horrible. I felt it searching through my head."

Xisuma felt his blood run cold.

Scar continued, starting to ramble as he recalled what had happened mere minutes ago.

"Images flashed through my head: strange places I have never seen shifted in front of me. I felt it looking through my thoughts and memories too. Then, it started to ask me questions and- and I was too afraid to answer. It started y-yelling at me and still I couldn't speak. I don't think it mattered though, i-it still got what it wanted in the end. And then, oh god, it killed me, and Ren, and Stress, Iskall-"

Xisuma grasped Scar's shoulders firmly, but he stared at his face with a new wave of uneasiness in his gut.

"Scar. What did it ask you." Xisuma asked urgently, fearing what the answer was going to be.

"We-well it was simple stuff at first. Who I am, where I live. But then, it started to poke around some more and get more agit-itated. It asked me about the vexes, a-and about you and what you could do. And then it asked me who else I knew and suddenly stopped. I-it found what it was looking for I think. Then it killed me." Scar's eyes were frantic as he looked at Xisuma. "I'm so so sorry I couldn't stop it I tried so hard but I still failed i'm sorry I-"

Xisuma placed his finger on Scar's lips, giving him a reassuring smile despite it being completely forced. He needed to be strong now. For Scar and for everyone else.

"Shh, Scar that's not true, none of it is your fault."

"But-"

"No buts," Xisuma cut him off. "Really, there is nothing you could have done better. You were terrified and yet you still didn't give it anything willingly. I am so proud of you. That was really brave."

Xisuma felt Scar grip his arm tighter, heard the sniffles and the quiet 'thank you'd that would have evaded him completely had he not been watching him intently. Xisuma just waited for Scar to calm down, muttering words of encouragement to the upset hermit.

He could have stayed like this forever if he had to, but once again his visor displayed the vibrant text of a new message.

JoeHillsTSD: Just checked in on Iskall and Stress. Both are shaken up but otherwise fine.

ZombieCleo: Ren is also fine

ReDog: Hello my dudes, sorry for the scare. We are all good!

Xisuma let out a sigh of relief. He didn't deserve friends like these. He quickly wrote his own response to the group chat.

Xisuma: Scar is ok now too. Thank you for your help everyone, I know this is scary, but we are getting through this.

He gritted his teeth. Were they really? This felt like only the beginning of a much larger problem.

Mumbo jumbo: Are we going to discuss this soon then?

Xisuma: Yes. We will hold a meeting in an hour over by Sahara as it is relatively close. Attendance is mandatory.

JoeHillsTSD: There's more to this than just them dying, isn't there? 

Xisuma: I feel that this is something much bigger than I would like it to be. We must all be ready.

FalseSymmetry: Got it. See you in an hour.

Tangotek: right behind ya

Xisuma turned off his built in communicator and shifted his focus once more to Scar. The other man looked at him with wide eyes.

"D-do you think it will come to our world? To get back what it found?" Scar's voice sounded so fragile, still trembling from before. Xisuma wanted to assure him and tell him not to worry about it, but deep down he knew that it wasn't something he could just lie about. 

"Yes." He replied with as much steadiness in his voice as he could muster. "I think they will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Askjfjfhjhh I had plans for this chapter and yet it seems to have wandered off in an entirely different direction.


	4. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe hills, what a lad.

It was a while later, and as promised, all the Hermits were gathered just outside of the large Sahara building. Many were chatting amongst themselves. Everyone was nervous. Joe watched Xisuma closely as the admin cleared his throat to initiate the meeting. The crowd immediately silenced, eyes trained on their leader expectantly, and Joe felt like he would be able to slice the heavy tension in the air with his sword.

"Right, well then..." When Xisuma spoke these first words, it sounded like he was testing his voice, checking to see if he sounded calm enough to proceed. Suddenly, his demeanor changed entirely. All the nervousness left and it was replaced by a stoic leader, ready to guide his people.

"As we are all aware, something entirely new has appeared in our world. Something that we are almost positive is a threat. It killed scar with it's bare hands, and then proceeded to kill Ren, Iskall, and Stress without breaking a sweat."

Many faces in the crowd turned to look at the four mentioned, including Joe. He couldn't help but notice how tightly Stress gripped onto Iskall's sleeve. Or the way Ren grit his teeth ever so slightly. And he most certainly couldn't miss the look on Scar's face, how the man looked down at his feet, trembling. 

"I know for a fact that it is somewhere in the overworld right now."

The crowd collectively tensed. 

"How? Where?!" False exclaimed. She gripped the sword in her kilt, ready to pull it out at any moment. Joe understood her apprehension, but he strained to remain calm with a clear head. Filling your brain with worry won't help here, they need to think rationally.

"Has any coding to the world been changed?" He asked Xisuma.

"Yes, that's how I figured out it is somewhere nearby. Almost all the bugs I have been battling with for weeks have suddenly been fixed. Everything has improved greatly in general. I'm certain that if Mumbo were to run all of his farms at once, everything would still work perfectly fine."

A few broken chuckles echoed around the buildings. The mustached man in question ducked his head in embarrassment, cheeks tinted red. Other than that, everyone remained stone faced as they stared at their leader.

"We don't know what it is going to do, or what it is fully capable of, but we must begin preparing." Xisuma continued, gaze hard as he looked up at the sea of faces. 

"But how can we prepare? Can anything stop it?" Jevin asked aprehensively. Xisuma looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The admin's eyes rounded with sympathy. 

"I don't know, but that doesn't mean we won't try." Joe nodded in agreement. 

"I can enchant some gear for people." Cleo suggested. Doc turned to face her.

"I'll help you. Maybe get everyone a channeling trident of their own." He grinned as Cleo npdded her head.

"I can make traps! Redstone traps! I'm sure the other redstoners can help out as well." Tango proposed, rapidly flexing his red claws.

"We can make a whole alarm system so we know when it is close." Impulse added.

"I'll start collecting supplies. Firecharges, potions, who knows what else, ConCorphas it covered." Cub smiled, putting in his own two bits. Iskall and Mumbo looked at him in disbelief.

"Sahara most deffinetly can help out with that as well." Iskall responded quite childishly. Mumbo nodded in approval and elbowed Grian, who was still staring blankly at Xisuma.

"My bunker is always welcome for everyone to hide out in." Tfc put in. Joe was in it before, and the massive area dug out would most deffinetly house all of them plus supplies and traps. It was a perfect place to go to if needed. 

Many other hermits took turns suggesting their ideas. Some were quickly turned down for being too dangerous, but others actually had some fairly solid plans. Xisuma looked greatly relieved to be getting so much help pitched in.

"All of this is sure to help greatly, thank you." The admin finally responded. "One other thing we must remember to do is be on a constant look out. Anything remotely suspicious happens, and you must immediately inform everyone. Communication is key here, so be sure to have your communicator on at all times. Come see me when any updates to this situation are found."

"I also suggest you don't go out alone, and instead stick in groups. Have a sort of buddy system if you will, for protection."

No defiance met Xisuma, so he continued.

"There All also be no travelling to the End."

A few groans were heard amongst the hermits, but they were quickly shushed by others.

"As far as we know, that's where this Watcher entity has full access to. It's far too dangerous."

Joe agreed whole-heartedly. It was a reasonable restriction, bound to happen at one point or another.

"And with that, I believe I have said all I needed to say. Everyone please, start getting ready. We don't know when or where it will come."

Hermits began scurrying all around, many in great rushes to get to their bases or to shops for supplies. Eventually, they all dispersed, until Joe stood alone with Xisuma, who was busy looking through code displayed or his wrist band.

Walking closer, Joe noticed just how tired Xisuma looked. It had been just over an hour ago when all this had started, and they already had so much to do, to prepare. Joe also knew however, that an exhausted admin under a lot of stress is not particularly helpful. He placed a hand on Xisuma's shoulder pad.

Xisuma jumped noticeably, before he looked up at Joe and softened his gaze.

"How are you doing friend?" Joe prompted. Xisuma looked away.

"I don't know what to do if I am being honest. This has come completely out of the blue and we are completely unprepared. I've been trying to input some commands to protect us from this Watcher being, but I don't think it will do much. I just have to keep looking."

Joe hummed quietly. 

"Let me help you. Together we can get much more done. I have some books we can possibly look through for answers." He told the admin.

"No no, you have to prepare. I can't ask that of you." Xisuma shook his head.

"You ain't asking, i'm suggesting. I want to help you. Besides, you just said we ain't supposed to go anywhere by ourselves." 

There was a pregnant pause as Xisuma looked at his monitor and then back at Joe. Finally, he gave in.

"...alright. Thank you." 

Joe smiled at his old friend as they began making their way to his base.

"Whatever happens, we'll work it out together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stared at my phone for 4 hours without writing a single word help.
> 
> Also I might take pretty long on some of the chapters because I am really trying to have my take on the watcher universe to be as original as possible. 
> 
> So far it isn't working....


	5. Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grian isn't doing too good. Mumbo goes to make sure he is ok.

"So, what do we do then?" Mumbo's mustache quivered as he stood around his fellow architechs. If there was any fear in his voice, nobody said anything. 

"I suppose we go check out our storage room. Also, we should check out the SaharaNow boxes. They might have something valuable in them." Iskall scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Then we head over to Tfc's base and start helping out with what needs to be done there."

Mumbo nodded, mind a little clearer now that he had a task he could focus on. Of course, it wasn't completely cleared. There was still an all powerful entity here in their world, most likely watching them right now. Then there was the matter of what it is going to do, and when. Mumbo hated this, he hated not knowing. It was so much worse to be oblivious.

A sudden gust of wind buffeted the trio. Ever since the meeting ended, the weather had gotten worse. Now, dark clouds holding the distant rumbling of thunder stretched across the sky. It was as if the weather itself was highlighting the entrance of the new entity to their world.

He glanced at Grian, who still hasn't spoken a single word throughout the whole meeting. In fact, it seemed like he wasn't even listening to their conversation right now. His eyes were drifting far away to something only he could see. Mumbo placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"You alright there Gri? You seem pretty out of it." He prompted gently.

Grian blinked slowly, as if he was still processing what was said. Finally, he nodded.

"Yeah, just… scared is all." He rasped. Mumbo's expression softened as he looked at his short friend. Grian was always so full of energy, so alive that it was difficult to keep up with all his antics. Seeing him so genuinely worried and out of it was really hard. Mumbo tried to give him the most reassuring smile he could possibly make.

"Don't worry, we will get through this." Mumbo glanced at Iskall as he spoke, and the Swedish man nodded.

"Yeah! We got this! Nobody can mess with us hermits and get away unhurt!" Iskall gave a small cheer, demeanor changed almost entirely. There was a strong fire of determination in his eyes, and Mumbo couldn't agree with him more.

Grian however seemed to take it differently.

"Yes, you're right…" He looked like he had seen a ghost as he spoke, and Mumbo was surprised to hear sadness in his voice. "Nobody can get away with that."

Mumbo shared a glance with Iskall, who seemed equally confused.

"Grian, we mean it. Nothing will happen to us. It's-"

"I need to go to my base."

The short man spread his tawny wings and soared off before Mumbo or Iskall could even begin to protest. 

A silence filled the space between the two men left behind. They only watched as their friend got smaller and smaller the further away he flew, until the builder finally disappeared from view.

"...should we go after him?" Iskall asked after a while. Mumbo looked at his remaining friend and thought for a moment.

"I'll go after him. You stay here and stick close to the others at the shopping district. We need to start preparing immediately and not waste any more time." Iskall gave him the thumbs as Mumbo tugged at the string on his rocket and launched into the air. Mumbo never liked flying. It was sporadic and difficult to control. As the wild wind slapped him in the face, he struggled to keep his eyes open and nearly slammed into a wall of rock. Luckily Grian's base was very close. 

He struggled to maneuver his way into the open entrances, the wind seemingly determined to knock him off his course, but he still made it inside with a not quite as graceful as he would have liked landing. Mumbo glanced around at the giant chest monster Grian had accumulated over the course of the season and sighed. The man really needed a proper storage system. 

Mumbo shook his head.This isn't what he came here for. He came to get his friend back.

"Grian?" He called out tentatively. "Come back dude. X just said that Nobody should go anywhere alone."

There was no response, only the loud warping noises of the nether portal attached to the wall and distant bird calls. 

The aviary. 

Mumbo once again spread his elytra and launched himself straight up through the circular holes in the ceiling. He passed layer upon layer until finally he reached the one on the very top. 

Grian sat on the ground, wings curled around him in a cocoon of brown feathers. Mumbo took a small step forward.

"Grian?" He asked quietly. No response was given.

"Grian please, what's wrong?" Silence. 

"Please, let us help you. Is it the watcher? Are you afraid? You know that we will help fight it off. We would never let anything harm you. You know that, right?"

Mumbo carefully placed his hand on the feathers. A wet coughing noise escaped the smaller man.

"I know Mumby. I know…" Grian responded faintly. "And I am so so sorry that I haven't been able to give you guys the same. You all deserve better."

"And I am going to fix it."

Mumbo stiffened. What was Grian talking about? He hadn't done anything...had he? He flinched as Grian stood up suddenly. His friend's face was full of such deep emotions. Mumbo could only stare at him, throat barely able to make a sound.

"W-what do you mean?" 

Grian looked Mumbo directly in the face. He was crying, having some internal battle that only he could understand. Yet he said nothing.

"Grian, please, you're scaring me. What are you talking about?"

Thick tears were streaming down Grian's face now, and they showed no sign of stopping. And yet, he still remained unloving, staring directly into Mumbo's eyes. Searching for something. But what?

"Grian? Please, snap out of it!"

Mumbo was getting desperate, the longer he received no answer, the longer the fear in his stomach grew, coiling like thorny vines that dug deep into his heart. Mumbo couldn't take it any longer. He grabbed Grian roughly and shook him, trying to get him to snap out of it, talk, anything.

"GRIAN! TALK TO ME GODDAMMIT! WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

Grian didn't even flinch. He just snaked his arms around Mumbo's waist and pulled him into a tight hug. Mumbo was too shocked to register what he was doing and hug back. Grian's body trembled. He heard sniffles from the face pressed to his suit. A quiet whisper was barely able to be heard above the sound of birds chirping and the wind blowing outside.

"I'm going to miss you, so much. Please tell the others I'm sorry. I never meant for it to turn out like this."

The arms left Mumbo's waist, and the smaller male stood up, rubbing his eyes with his sweater sleeve.

"Grian what-"

Mumbo's voice caught in his throat.

Grian had dropped his sleeve, and in the place of his two beautiful blue eyes, there now were four eyes of rich purple hue. He raised his arm, and bright magic circled it, forming a gateway of sorts. Grian gave him a soft smile.

"Wait, no-"

Grian stepped through, and the gate shut behind him. The residual magic faded with a soft fizz.

Mumbo Jumbo stood alone in the aviary. The sun had come up from behind the clouds and shone directly onto him. The wind died down, and the gentle waves could be heard lapping at the base of the structure in a lulling song of the sea.

It was a beautiful day.

And on everyone's communicator an identical message was displayed;

Grian has left the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oopsie. Now he's gone. Sorry.
> 
> Im tired.


	6. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumbo can't remember why he is in his bed. Iskall and Xisuma help him out.

_Dearest Moonlight~ Welcome back! We knew you would change your mind and come back one day. You made the right choice by leaving them when you did, who knows what we would have done to them to get you back?_

_…_

_Now, now, why are you crying? Aren't you glad to be home?_

_…_

_Oh, your wings dear! What happened to them? They are disgusting. Go and wash that off right now. And hurry up, we have a lot to catch up on~_

_…yes mother ___

__\---------------------------------------------_ _

__Mumbo awoke with a gasp._ _

__His breathing was heavy as he lifted his upper body upright to a sitting position. He stared at his hands, watching as his fingers curled tightly around the plush fabric of the blanket. He was… in his bed? When did that happen?_ _

__He searched through his memories for an answer. There was his witch farm, then checking on Sahara, and then… Mumbo's eyes widened._ _

__"Grian! Grian is gone! Somebody, please, help! He's gone!" He screamed and flailed in his bed. His friend was gone, and he couldn't stop it. He couldn't do anything. He only watched as his best friend left. Stupid. Useless. Useless._ _

__"Woah there, take it easy."_ _

__A gentle hand pushed him back down onto the soft bed. Mumbo didn't register who that hand belonged to, but he couldn't care less. He resisted it and tried to get out of bed._ _

__"No! No! He's gone and it's all my fault! I need to go and find him!"_ _

__The firmness of the hand pressing down on him increased, and now there were four hands? Who on earth had four hands?_ _

__"Mumbo calm down. I get that you're upset, we all are, but you need to calm down first."_ _

__Mumbo stopped struggling. He listened to the voice and tried to calm down. It was difficult, each breath felt like fire entering his lungs. And yet, with each shaky breath, he slowly started to gain awareness of the world around him. He felt something wet drip down onto his arm. Tears._ _

__He finally looked up to see who had helped him. His eyes met with the one good eye of Iskall and the purple tinted visor of Xisuma. Iskall smiled gently at him._ _

__"Hey dude, welcome back."_ _

__Mumbo cringed. What does that mean?_ _

__"What happened? Where is Grian?"_ _

__Iskall frowned and looked over to Xisuma, hesitating before answering._ _

__"After we got the message on our communicators, I flew after you. I was so scared something had happened to you as well. What I found was you panicking really badly. You lashed out at me and I called X over." Mumbo frowned. He had lashed out at Iskall? "He then subdued you with his admin abilities and placed you back at your base."_ _

__"As for Grian, I searched everywhere through the codes." Xisuma picked up where Iskall left off "I found nothing. I'm sorry Mumbo, he's gone."_ _

__Mumbo looked down at his hands again. His lip shivered as he fought back another wave of salty tears threatening to stream down his face. Whatever hope he still had for getting back Grian was gone. He felt sick._ _

__"When I went after Grian, h-he looked so upset. He said that he never meant for this to happen, that he was s-sorry for everything. And then, when I looked up at him, he was different. He has four eyes. And magic. Then he opened some sort of rift a-and…"_ _

__The room, save for Mumbo's sniffles, was filled with dead silence. Xisuma sat on the bed absolutely rigid._ _

__"Grian… was what that thing was looking for?" Iskall asked slowly, still processing all of the new information. Xisuma stood up suddenly and punched the wall with his armored fist. Mumbo flinched at the loud noise as the wall was deeply dented._ _

__"Dammit! I swore to everyone here that they were safe! Safe from whatever haunted them in their past! What kind of leader am I if I can't take care of one of my own?!"_ _

__Mumbo stared with wide eyes. X was yelling. That was not something common. He had to be deeply upset about this. Mumbo got out of bed and walked over to the admin, who was currently pacing back and forth with heavy, clanking footsteps. He embraced the slightly taller man._ _

__"X, it's not your fault. Its mine." He spoke softly, trying to put every drop of his sincerity into his voice. "You have a difficult job, and it's hard to do it all on your own. You are doing a very good job by yourself, but you need to rest too, alright? Don't push yourself so hard to get everything taken care of."_ _

__"Yeah, dude. You work so hard to make everything run smoothly. Take a break now and again, you deserve it!" Iskall put in his two cents and joined Mumbo in wrapping his arms aroumd their admin._ _

__Xisuma remained silent, but he was no longer trembling with self loathing. Instead, he slowly wrapped his arms around his found family and gave in to their warmth. It was a nice feeling, knowing that there are people who care about you this deeply. He wanted to close his eyes and drift off faraway into sleep. But he couldn't._ _

__Mumbo felt the admin's arm give him a tight squeeze. A promise, quiet, but resonating with so much strength, filled the room._ _

__"We will find him. We will bring him back home"_ _

__Mumbo didn't doubt him for a second._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I woke up at 1 am and wrote this all in one go so please dont yell at me for how bad it is. 
> 
> Its 4:30 and im tired.
> 
> Also x is baby


	7. Searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just have to wait until the solution comes to you.

Xisuma growled in frustration, ripping the spine off the book in his hands and tossing it at the wall, where more books with the same shared fate lay.

Ever since Grian had disappeared, everything became so much more stressful. He had to calm down many worried faces, check the coding to see if it was tampered with, search for any possible information that could help them, and, when ready get some sort of search party ready. A rational mind would slow down and, possibly, ask if a search party was really the best option. The truth is, after Grian left, Xisuma has been filled with a deep sense of rage and self loathing. 

This was his family being messed with. He had worked hard to build a space for everyone to be happy, to be free. He had failed them. Everyone now knew that this was not an oasis where they could escape their troubles. Something had gotten in and forced one of his own out. Every ounce of his body was filled with a need to get him back. That was his family. His. Not that Watcher thing's.

And Then there was something personal about all of this as well. Xisuma couldn't shake off the feeling that he had some part in this. His past was always foggy, the only thing he ever remembered being frantic, hushed voices. Were they belonging to his biological family? He wasn't sure It was like a large portion of him mind was missing, and somehow he knew that this would help put the puzzle together.

Xisuma was only vaguely aware of Joe looking up at him from the other side of the room. Instead, he took out another book from the shelf, 'What the Void Holds Back: a Study of Findings Beyond the End'. It looked more promising than the last book, maybe it was worth looking into.

He flipped to the section titled 'inhabitants' and started reading.

_The deep void is vast, and exploring all of it is a gargantuan task that is almost certainly impossible. It is a deep and dark chasm with little life to offer. Most players are aware of the ender dragons, endermen, and shulkers found beyond their overworked, however, there is a possibility that more races exist. On multiple end cities there have been engravings of other figures. Every time, they were drawn as tall and fair skinned, with whip-like tails and wings made out of something resembling dripping liquid with stars inside. Nobody has been able to properly see one, and until we learn more about them, they are to be referred to as Voidkind. ___

__Xisuma stared at the page. It was not what he had been looking for, but it felt important somehow. Voidkind… once again it seemed awfully familiar to him, but he just couldn't figure out why._ _

__"Any luck there?"_ _

__X blinked and looked up from his book. He hadn't realized that Joe had approached him._ _

__"Nothing about Watchers themselves. But, there seems to be more than them out there. Voidkind is what they are referred to as." Xisuma didn't put the book down yet. There had to be something more. Anything. Meanwhile, Joe appeared to be lost in thought._ _

__"Voidkind… " he mumbled, readjusting his glasses. "Maybe they could help us."_ _

__Xisuma looked at him expectantly._ _

__"They seem to be our best shot at finding anything out about the Watchers. If we can find one, maybe it can lead us to them."_ _

__The plan made sense, and for a second the admin was filled with hope that they might find some way to find Grian. But then he realized there was a major flaw._ _

__"Every world is connected to its own Nether and End. How can we possibly be certain they live in our chunk? Just like how we have the Hermitcraft overworld, they must have one separate end where most of them live too." Xisuma explained. He twiddled with his fingers as flaw after flaw entered his mind, making the tiny sliver of hope Joe had given disappear further and further into the back of his mind "We also don't know just how many worlds there are, but there are definetly millions; servers like ours, lonely single player worlds, worlds that are completely flat, permadeath worlds, God-like creative worlds. How are we supposed to find the specific end where they all live?"_ _

__He hadn't realized how close Joe had gotten during his half-rant, but suddenly there were hands on his giving a gentle and reassuring squeeze._ _

__"This may not be the way, but I see how important this is to you. And when you are set on something, you always find the answers." Joe gave him a warm smile, but then his face turned stern. "Now, we have been at this for three days now. Not counting the other days you spent examining codes and helping out the others, plus your regular admin duties. You need a break. Go to bed."_ _

__Xisuma glared at him._ _

__"What? No! I just got to a book that might hold some information and you're making me go to sleep?" He exclaimed._ _

__Joe crossed his arms and looked at the admin, who, although it wasn't that visible through the helmet, let out a yawn._ _

__"How can you help if you can barely function? You've worn yourself out my friend. Once you are well rested, it will be like a clean slate where we can try again alright?" Joe tried asking a little more gently this time. Xisuma thought about it. When was the last time he had slept? Maybe it would be better after all._ _

__"Fine, you win. I'll sleep for a few hours, but then it's back to work."_ _

__Joe smiled._ _

__"Of course."_ _

__\--------------------  
Xisuma's dreams were silent. _ _

__It was the thrumming darkness of the void, swallowing him whole._ _

__He should have panicked, but instead, he let the inky blackness drift through him and carry him deeper into the abyss._ _

__It was... nice._ _

__A beeping noise cut through his dream like a knife, slicing it open and letting the real world seep through. He groggily opened his eyes and groaned._ _

__It was his communicator._ _

__FalseSymmetry: guys, you might want to check this out_ _

__FalseSymmetry: it looks like some kind of opening? Like a nether portal but more natural. It's on top of Grian's base btw_ _

__Xisuma felt some feeling grow in his chest, but he couldn't tell which. Was it fear that the Watcher had come back, ready to take more of his family._ _

__Or was it hope, that this could be exactly what they were searching for._ _

__He quickly typed out a response._ _

__Xisuma: stay there, I'm going to check it out._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi sorry for the few say wait. I'm just really tired.  
> Sorry its so short too.
> 
> Sorry


	8. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe and X discuss portals, Scar practices magic, and Mumbo does some Redstone.

Xisuma had expected something akin to a nether portal. Instead, he stood in front of a literal tear in the sky. However, the magic that contained it was not raw and crackling, but rather deep, smooth, flowing outwards like a river. It was oddly calming, the pale blue and green swirling inside.

It felt… safe. Xisuma would have normally been very doubtful about such a thing appearing on its own in his server, but this opening felt natural. It felt right. 

The admin glanced at Joe, who seemed equally mesmerized by the cascading colors washed up in the sky. He had stubbornly insisted to come with X as well, wanting to see the portal for himself. Watching him be so entranced, Xisuma felt anxiety pool in his stomach. He had to remind himself that while it felt safe, he still needed to be careful. 

"What do you think caused it to appear?" Xisuma tried to start a conversation, not liking how close Joe had wandered to it. The man in question seemingly snapped out of it, looking around in mild confusion.

"Oh. Right, well I don't think it happened on accident. I don't believe I have heard of anything like this happen on its own without help from outside." Joe readjusted his glasses. "It's likely that something created this portal for us simply because it wanted us to go through it. The question is, do we trust it?"

"I'm not sure." Xisuma replied hesitantly. "It feels safe but, how can we be sure whoever sent it to us is on our side?"

Joe was silent, eyes trained on the opening yet again. 

"We can't, but are we going to pass up this chance? This could be what leads us to all the answers we need." 

Xisuma pondered this. If it was against them, so much could go wrong. They could get stuck in an unfamiliar world, get hurt, maybe even permadeathed. But if the portal was on their side? It would save so much time searching.

Mumbo was already a wreck, locking himself up in his base, getting little rest. Whenever a hermit passed by, a symphony of mechanical noises could be heard. Xisuma knew he was searching for a way to get back his friend. If Mumbo found out that they had a chance to get Grian back right now and hadn't taken it, he would probably jump through the portal on his own. He couldn't risk losing anyone else. 

"I'm going to see what is on the other side. If there isn't an immediate trap, we can try sending a search party."

Joe nodded beside him.

"I'll cover for you."

\-------------------

Cub watched Scar as he gripped the dark crystal, beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face, which was scrunched up in concentration. Slowly, a small spark left the crystal and lifted into the air. Cub watched in amazement as it drifted towards him, before suddenly fizzing out of existence. Scar groaned while his legs shaking from exertion. Cub couldn't watch this any longer. He approached his good friend and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Scar, don't you think this is enough? You have been at this for hours." He tried to suggest gently. Scar shook his head, face still flushed red.

"No, I can't," Scar said indignantly, standing up taller and once again clutching the jewel tightly. "I need to learn magic. I have to be stronger!" 

Cub felt irritation rise within him. He loved his friend dearly, but this was ridiculous. Ever since "the incident" Scar had been devouring every book on magic and spells he could find, going on expeditions to find strange crystals. He was seeing less and less of him add the days went by, and when he did, it was almost all ways nose in a book or sweaty and exhausted while practicing magic like he was now. He was always tired, pushing himself to his limits every day. Cub was seriously growing worried.

"You have vex magic! Isn't that enough?" He tried to reason. Scar stopped what he was doing and looked Cub straight in the eyes. The fire raging in those emerald orbs was frightening.

"It can never be enough, Cub." He stated slowly. " vex magic is sporadic, unreliable. It isn't even ours, we must borrow it from the vex, and they only hand it over when they feel like it." He went back to focusing on the crystal. "I need to learn how to perform my own magic. To be able to help wherever and whenever."

Cub stared at his friend as Scar turned to face him again. His face was twisted with dejectedness, eyes looking down as if ashamed.

"I couldn't do anything." Scar spoke softly, Cub had to strain his ears to catch every word. "I only struggled in its grasp as it used me to get what it wanted. That was the worst thing I ever experienced. If I had my own magic, maybe I. would have been able to stop it, stop him from leaving. I never want to be the one to let everyone down again. That's why I need to do this." 

Scar flipped the page in his book, reading briefly before exerting his muscles and trying once again. 

This time, Cub didn't stop him.

\------------------------

The sound of dispensers activating filled the air, and Iskall could only watch as his friend frantically flipped switches and reconnected Redstone circuits. It had been two weeks since Grian left. Every day, Mumbo would shut himself in his base and work on god knows what. Maybe to Mumbo it made some sense, but Iskall knew better. He knew this endless circle of circuits being torn apart and made again was pointless. Still, the mustached man kept at this act without ever stopping. Iskall had to all but drag him away by his feet in order to send him to bed or get him to eat something.

He too felt an emptiness in their world after the prankster had left. It was much more quiet, less exciting. For these two weeks, many had stayed holed up with very little contact coming between hermits. Some, like Mumbo or Xisuma, searched for answers, while most others simply refused to go out much. But one emotion connected them all. They were all scared.

The previous events all happened so quickly, so unexpectedly. Nobody knew what to think. Nobody understood. But everyone felt that it was wrong. They felt that a dark shadow came over their world that day. And they were all afraid of what it meant for them.

Iskall continued to watch Mumbo work on his pitiful solutions. Every time he had reworked a contraption, Mumbo would light up with the brightest of hope Iskall had ever seen. But every time the contraption would be switched on, only to reveal that it held no answers, the man's whole demeanor changed. His shoulders would sag and his mustache would quiver.It was truly a pitiful sight, to see such a proper man turn into something so desperate for answers.

As the sunset's last rays of light bounced off the many quartz surfaces around them, Iskall decided that it was enough for today. He placed a hand on Mumbo's bent over back, as he had quickly learned that verbal he could not get the man to snap out of it.

Mumbo jerked underneath him. Two tired red eyes blinked slowly at him.

"...is it time already?" Mumbo asked quietly. Iskall smiled softly.

"Yeah dude, you've been at this all day again. Come, let's get you fed and put to bed so you can try again tomorrow with more energy." Iskall tried to sound positive, but he hated every second of this. How long would Mumbo be stuck like this? Surely he would realize eventually that it was all pointless.

Mumbo nodded slowly and got to his feet. Iskall guided him to the small dining area Mumbo had set up previously. As Iskall rummaged the pantries for any proper food, Mumbo stared at the floor.

"I miss Grian…" he mumbled. At this Iskall looked over to his friend. He sighed and sat down in front of him.

"Me too." Iskall spoke softly, placing his hand on Mumbo's.

"I wish I could have done more. Maybe I could have convinced him to stay, showed him how much we cared for him. And now he's gone." The redstoner continued. Iskall watched as tears began trailing down the creases of his friend's face. 

He couldn't come up with much of a reply. Instead, he chose to be there for his friend, wiping the tears with his sleeve. 

It pained Iskall. He thought Grian was the only friend that was gone, but now it felt like Mumbo was slipping away too. He wanted to scream at the universe. They had done nothing wrong. Why was everyone being punished like this? Surely nobody deserved this.

In the end, there was nothing they could do but sit and wait. So they did, finding comfort in the quiet, close but seemingly light years away from each other. Iskall could only watch as his other friend was slowly being consumed by a spreading darkness he had no power over. He just sat, observed, and waited for an answer.

The silence was broken when twin mechanical buzzes filled the room.

Iskall fliped open his communicator and checked his messages. His eyes widened at the text. Mumbo must have noticed his change in demeanor, because he quickly got up to look at what he was staring at as well.

"What is it?" Mumbo asked.

On Iskall's screen, one new message flashed repeatedly:

Xisuma: Everyone please come down to False's base. We found a rift and must organize a search time as soon as possible.

Iskall smiled truly for the first time in weeks.

"An answer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me making 3 difderent Povs in one chapter. 
> 
> Welp hopefully we can get more action rolling soon.


	9. Organizing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is decided who goes and who stays

_Stop resisting us dear, you know there is no point._

_…_

_Well, we suppose you are adapting rather well back into your old life. It must be difficult to leave all of your friends like that. But you must know, it was all for the greater good. They never cared for you anyways._

_Don't touch me_

_Oh dear, what a temper! We Will have to get that fixed right away. Wouldn't want to hurt more innocent souls because of your stubbornness yet again, would you?_

_No…_

_Of course dear. Now come to us, let's start over. ___

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__Around the admin stood many hermits, all staring at him with matching anxious faces. Before the swirling rift of energy, Xisuma stood tall, seeming almost inhuman as he scanned all of their faces. The heavy silence was broken when he finally spoke._ _

__"We have… a possible solution."_ _

__At this revelation a few hermits cheered, and mumbo found himself letting out a breath that he had not realized he had been holding in. Everyone quickly quieted down when Xisuma held up his hand, signalling that he was not done talking._ _

__"Note the word 'possible'." He spoke, looking directly at the hermits who looked most elated at his news. Xisuma turned to face the rift. "I have briefly gone through to see what was on the other side. It leads to some sort of outpost in the end, one that is empty. But that's not all. Stepping outside, a great city could be seen in the distance, clearly not abandoned."_ _

__"Do you think that Grian is somewhere in that city?" Asked Tango._ _

__"We can't be sure-" The admin spoke._ _

__"And how do we know Grian even wants to come back? What if he choses to stay there?" Jevin cut him off._ _

__Mumbo froze. It was something he hadn't thought about at all. What then? Now that he though about it, it would make sense that Grian wouldn't even want to be with them anymore. Uncertainty loomed over the whole crowd. He looked at the admin, who shared the same exact guilty expression._ _

__Xisuma was silent, but then his demeanor changed as a look of determination flashed through what little of his face was visible. " I don't know, bit we must give this a shot. I believe that this rift here was opened for a reason. I'm not sure by who and why, but I think they are trying to help guide us. It's dangerous, and we don't know what to expect at all, but we must at least try. For Grian."_ _

__The atmosphere shifted, fueled by their leader's words. False raised her diamond sword into the air and cheered._ _

__"I will help search. Lord knows I've been wanting to kick Watcher ass as soon as one lay its ugly claws on my family." She proclaimed._ _

__Xisuma nodded, meeting her eyes which reciprocated his fire, if not even more._ _

__"With you on our side, they might as well surrender right now." He exclaimed, and a few hermits voiced their agreement. Xisuma turned to Mumbo, with a sudden warmth to his eyes. "And I can safely assume that you will also search for Grian, correct?"_ _

__Mumbo simply nodded without a second of hesitation. Of course he would join. This was his best friend they were talking about._ _

__And it was his fault that he left too._ _

__"I will also help. It's what I have been preparing for as soon as he disappeared." Scar raised his hand amongst the crowd, a heavy book of spells in his hand._ _

__Cub placed a hand on Scar's shoulder, stepping forward to face their admin._ _

__"Then I will be coming too." The bearded man stated. Xisuma simply nodded in acceptance._ _

__"Count me in." Mumbo was surprised when Stress stepped forward. From beside him, he felt Iskall tense._ _

__"And Me! I'm also coming!" Iskall quickly added, latching himself onto Stress' arm. Mumbo almost snorted at how flustered the man looked._ _

__"Yeah, let's bring back the end busting gang all together! I'll join!" Ren exclaimed in a way that would seem far too cheerful had anyone else done it. Ren just always seemed enthusiastic, and his rapidly wagging tail was only proving it further._ _

__Xisuma only had to see Doc's small nod to know he was on board too._ _

__"Alright then! Count team Zit in too!" Tango proudly grinned as he wrapped his arms around the equally enthusiastic Impulse and Zedaph._ _

__"No, you will stay." Xisuma stated as the three men looked at him in bewilderment. "We have enough people. Any more and it will be much harder to get in without drawing too much attention to ourselves. Plus, we need to have someone stay behind in case something happens here."_ _

__Tango and Impulse huffed in exasperation, but were quickly silenced by Zedaph, who nodded in understanding._ _

__"Right. With that said, we will depart tomorrow morning. Please take this time to prepare any weapons and armour and get a good night's sleep." The admin spoke once more. "We don't know what will happen, so we must be prepared for anything."_ _

__Slowly hermits began trickling out, many going to wish luck to the chosen few who would depart soon._ _

__Mumbo stared at the search group formed, all of them silhouetted against the swirling light of the strange rift. It was both a formidable and balanced team. Him, Xisuma, Iskall, Stress, False, Scar, Cub, and Ren._ _

__For the first time in weeks, Mumbo found himself to be truly hopeful._ _

__Maybe, just maybe, they would stand a chance at finding Grian and getting him back._ _

__He yawned, now realizing just how tired he was. After all, he hadn't properly slept in the last few weeks, kept up by playing images of Grian's anguished face with four purple eyes staring right into his soul._ _

__The answers would have to wait until tomorrow. Now they must prepare.  
\-------------_ _

__In a small patch of grass, chunks and chunks away from the hermits, a lonely bud unfurls its vibrant petals and blooms upward towards the sky._ _

__It is a silent reminder, not yet heard, but it will resonate deeply within all who hear its ballad._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a while and i feel horrible, I'm so sorry. Ive sort of drifted away from hermitcraft for a few days but I am back with renewed motivation i swear! Please don't mind the spelling and errors i wrote this all in one go at 2 am.


	10. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search squad gears up, gets ready, and goes.

It felt like barely a minute had passed from yesterday's meeting to this morning. The search team had all woken up and were heading to the shopping district to meet up before heading to the portal. 

Xisuma had made sure that he had all the possible supplies he needed; bottled water, food, rope, enchanted weapons and armour, various potions, and anything else he could think of. 

He was the first one to arrive. He had tried his best to get some sleep, and to some extent he did, but it was still a bad night with lots of tossing and turning. X had already been up before the sun had even risen. 

The sound of rockets alerted him of an incoming hermit. Just as he expected, Stress, Doc, Ren, and False swooped down from the sky, each fully decked out with glowing enchanted armour and weapons. Stress greeted him with a bright 'hello' and he simply waved back. Doc and Ren settled nearby and started talking quietly amongst themselves.

False sauntered over to him and sat on the grass.

"So, we just wait for the rest to show up and then we leave?" She asked while picking up blades of grass and letting them sift through her fingers. Xisuma nodded, not meeting her eyes.

"That's the plan."

She looked at him with concern in her bright blue eyes.

"Are you alright?" There was gentleness in her voice, something he rarely saw in the fiery girl. Xisuma didn't look up.he He was their leader, he couldn't just dump his emotional baggage on her. He needed to remain strong.

"I'm just tired" he spoke, which wasn't exactly a lie, but he still felt bad for not being honest.

False pursed her lips, clearly not buying it, but she remained gentle. She placed a hand on his knee, still looking at him with those big concern filled doe eyes. Xisuma sighed, covering his visor with his hands.

"...I'm really worried. What if I'm leading you all into a trap? I wouldn't be able to bear it if you all got hurt because of me. I'm your guide, and yet I'm completely clueless on what to do." The admin turned to her, feeling completely vulnerable and exposed to her judgement.

But instead of being upset, False just smiled at him.

"X, you worry wart. Sometimes nobody knows what will happen. That's just how life is. But you aren't alone in this. We all are going to be there and help each other out. We are a family, aren't we? Whatever happens, we face it together."

Xisuma stared at her in surprise. A warm fuzzy feeling filled his chest as he felt her squeeze his hand in reassurance. He felt so much better now that his worries were voiced.

"You're right, thank you." He breathed out, grasping her hand and squeezing back.

"Of course I am." False smirked. She stood up and walked over to Scar and Cub, who had just arrived.

X huffed and shook his head. The lion was back, but it was nice to see her gentle side while he could. He stretched his arms and got to his feet as he observed the last two hermits arrive; Mumbo and Iskall.

It was time to get back to business.

"Now that we are all here, is everybody adequately prepared?" He asked. Everyone nodded. Xisuma, clearly satisfied with their response, continued.

"I'm sure we are all aware that once we go through the portal, we are entirely in fate's hands. It will be dangerous, and there's a good chance we might get hurt. Are you ready for that?"

Again, he was met by nodding, but this time there was a lot of hesitation. Xisuma softened his stance.

"If anyone doesn't want to come, they can turn back. I'm not forcing you all to do this." He prompted, half hoping he would be left to do this alone.

"Of course not! This is what I've been waiting for for a long time." Scar exclaimed. Doc nodded.

"We know the danger, we want to help." the creeper hybrid added.

Mumbo raised his head up high.

"If this brings back my friend, I want to be there. I want to do this." Though the man trembled, there was a great determination in his eyes. How could Xisuma turn them down.

"Alright," he gave in. "Then let's do this." 

X spread his elytra and took off, the others following suit. It was just a short flight from the shopping district to the strange portal, and soon they all stood in front of it again. He turned to face the group once more.

"Remember, we are going to the deep end. It's a harsh environment with little air." He warned.

"Oh we know." Stress spoke up. "That's why I volunteered. My abilities will likely come in handy."

Xisuma glanced at her and simply nodded. Stress was a far with a special ability. Any biome she came in contact with for a while she would start to adapt to. Currently, her hands were frost tipped and she could freeze anything around her due to living in an ice biome. Perhaps she could adapt to the deep end as well.

"Well then, this is it." He gulped, putting on the bravest face he could muster. Looking back at his team, he saw equal fear and exhilaration on their faces. Slowly, Xisuma put one foot through the portal and disappeared into the other side.

\------------

After the swirling blue and green left his vision, Xisuma glanced back to see the others catching up to him from behind. Mumbo rubbed his eyes to try and get his vision to stop swimming, as did most of the others.

Xisuma took this tome to look around. Dusty stone walls, creaky floorboards and stairs, and a broken window displaying the dark abyss just outside. They were in the abandoned watch tower, just as he had been when he first checked it out.

The ensemble of hermits fully collected themselves and took to carefully exploring the abandoned building.

"I guess nobody is home." Iskall said as he trailed a finger on a cabinet, collecting a thick layer of dust.

Then a figure crashed through the already broken window and grabbed Iskall's hands, pinning them behind his back.

Xisuma snarled, running at it but stopped when it pointed a crossbow-like weapon at Iskall.

"One more step and I shoot him." It warned. Iskall squirmed in its grasp, trying to get away with no luck. Behind X, he felt the rest of the hermits tense up. False was seething with barely restrained rage.

Xisuma studied this new foe. It was a he, it seemed. He was tall, with white hair and red eyes. A whip-like tail lashed behind him, and he was wearing some sort of red armour. Xisuma gasped. A Voidkind. But that wasn't the weirdest thing. X had to blink a few times to reassure him it was real. The voidkind looked almost like a carbon copy of him. But that was impossible. Probably just a coincidence, right?

"Let him go!" False yelled, drawing her sword.

The Voidkind hissed, showing off his fangs as he growled at the remaining hermits.

"Only when you tell me what some pitiful humans and fae are doing this deep into Watcher territory?" He snarled, voice heavy with venom. 

Suddenly, the voidkind sniffed the air. His eyes widened as he turned to look at Xisuma, clearly realizing something. Immediately, it dropped Iskall, who fell with an ungrateful oof to the floor, and instead pointed at Xisuma.

If it looked angry before, it was nothing compared to the sheer hate and disgust it showed now as it locked eyes with the admin. 

"How dare you show up here? After everything we have done for you, you come back? How ungrateful." It snarled, and then it lunged, black claws outstretched, at Xisuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ye it's ex, your welcome.
> 
> Also words cannot describe how happy i am to finally getting to the exciting part of the story(or at least the beggining of it)


	11. Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ex has some explaining to do.

Xisuma's mind reeled as the enemy lunged at him, claws outstretched and ready to tear out his throat. The malice in its eyes confused Xisuma. Why so much hate towards him? Why was he different from the others? 

He had just barely gotten out of the way before the Voidkind shifted towards him yet again. X drew his sword, bracing himself for the next attack, when a fire projectile whizzed past him and struck the voidkind. He turned around to see Scar, hands blazing with magic fire. False stood just beside him, crossbow loaded and ready to fire. She fired an arrow and xisuma watched as it struck the being in its arm.

The voidkind snarled as it ripped out the arrow in one swift movement. It briefly licked the wound before turning yet again to face Xisuma, face contorted in fury. It broke into a run, raising its weapon as it approached the admin, who got into his own defensive stance.

The clang of metal against armour was heard as Doc's trident deflected the attack. The voidkind stumbled backwards, grasping its chest plate. Doc took this time to throw the trident yet again, this time trapping its arm between the prongs as it wedged itself in a wall.

The Voidkind struggled relentlessly against it, but the trident stayed put. Suddenly, it screeched loudly, a horrible sound akin to nails on a chalkboard, and the hermits covered their ears to desperately try and block it out. Ren let out a whine as his ears were much more sensitive to the noise.

As soon as it stopped shrieking, False rushed in and pointed her sword at the voidkind's neck, signalling for it to surrender. 

It's eyes darted frantically from person to person like a caged animal, but it must have realized that it was outnumbered and overpowered, because it stopped struggling. A low growl still left its throat as it eyed Xisuma warily.

X carefully approached the being, each step on the old floorboards creaking loudly. The voidkind hissed once he stood just a few feet away.

"Who are you?" He asked, puffing his chest out to seem as intimidating as possible. The voidkind didn't answer, silently glaring daggers as it looked deep into his eyes.

"What do you want from us?" Xisuma tried again.

"I should be asking you the same." It replied. The voice was deep and husky, dripping with so much venom one could drown in it. Xisuma raised his own sword.

"What do you mean?"

It scoffed.

"You know exactly what I mean."

Xisuma blinked in confusion.

"I really don't. Care to explain?" He asked, suddenly feeling very uncertain. He felt Mumbo shift uncomfortably behind him.

The voidkind, however, stared at him witha mix of disbelief and disgust.

"What do you mean you don't know? We gave you so much, why would you ever come back unless it was to exploit us even further?!" It started struggling again. "How dare you forget about the sacrifices we made. You killed mother and father! You monster! Traitor! You don't deserve to be here!" 

It was now fully thrashing about, tugging at the trident with all its might. Doc and False pushed down on it to try and stop it from escaping. Xisuma's mind spun, questions forming intricate webs of confusion in his head. He was a traitor? To who? What sacrifices? Did he kill someone?

None of it made any sense. Perhaps the voidkind was lying. But then, why did all of this feel familiar? Why did he just know that what he spoke of had happened, but he just couldn't place a finger on what exactly? 

The growling and struggling died down as the Voidkind looked at his expression. Its brows furrowed.

"You don't remember, do you?" It asked in a tone far softer than it had ever spoken yet.

Xisuma shook his head.

"Do you even remember me?" There was a hint of desperation in its voice. 

"No, should I?" X asked, careful as to not anger it again. He was trying desperately to jog his memory, but he found nothing.

"I guess not." It sighed wistfully. 

"I suppose you should remember the whole story, just so I can kick your ass later without feeling guilty afterwards." It looked at all the other hermits who stood around awkwardly watching this scene unfold. "Maybe sit down, it's a bit of a long story."

Everyone sat down, except for Doc. 

"I don't want you escaping." He grunted, crossing his arms.

"Alright suit yourself." The Voidkind shrugged. It turned back to face Xisuma, its blood red eyes meeting his own lavender ones.

"My name is Ex," it began. "And I am your brother."

Xisuma froze. Beside him he heard similar gasps of astonishment.

"Brother? How? I'm human!" He exclaimed. Ex just smirked.

"We were twins, born to a pair of middle class voidkind. We were so close, we were basically inseparable. You always came up with the best games, and I followed you everywhere." There was a fond look on Ex's face as he recalled his childhood, but then it turned cold and distant. "But the watchers who ruled as tyrants over our species grew more and more cruel with each passing day. Our parents were afraid for our futures and what would become of them. They saught out ways to spare us, save us, anything. One day, they finally found an answer. The merchant on the outskirts of our neighborhood knew some enchantment and she could help us escape. However, there was a catch; she only had enough supplies to help one of us."

Xisuma shifted uncomfortably, already knowing what would happen next.

"She really gave you everything; a glamour to hide your voidkind features, a way into a new world, and apparently, she took your memories of oppression too. I was so distraught when you were taken away from me, when you left us behind. The watchers of course ended up finding out. How couldn't they when so much magical energy was used in such a short span of time? They executed our parents right then and there, and took me in to work for them. I am now a guard, which is why I was patrolling this area you guys ended up in. I still don't know what happened to the poor old merchant though."

Ex gave long lost brother a hard stare. Xisuma stared back. 

It was a lot of information at once, but it all made sense. It was like his mind was a puzzle and this was the final price that clicked instantly and put everything together. It was nice finally knowing where he came from.

Ex narrowed his eyes.

"But now, after we risked everything for you, you're back. Why?"

"We are looking for a friend. His name is Grian. Have you seen him?" A faint flicker of hope rose in Xisuma's chest. Ex of all people should have some ideas of what the watchers do. He glanced at Mumbo, who leaned in expectantly.

Ex tapped his chin carefully.

"Maybe? We don't have many prisoners but I might know him. What does he look like?" He prompted.

"An avian with large tawny wings. On the short side. Red sweater, and sandy curls. He was taken by the watchers a just few weeks ago." Xisuma listed, now strongly hoping that Ex knew who he was talking about and that he wasn't too vague.

Instead, Ex's face paled.

Xisuma felt his heart clench.

"What? Is he alright?" He asked, anxiety gripping his body.

_Oh no please no please be alright please don't be too late ___

__"You won't be getting him back I'm afraid…" Ex trailed off, looking at the floor._ _

__"W-why?"_ _

__He was afraid of the answer he would get, but he strained for one anyways._ _

__"Your friend is a watcher. His name is Xelqua."_ _

__Ex grasped Xisuma's hand, sorrow in his red eyes._ _

__"Please, turn back and go home. You'll only get hurt. It's not worth it."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstory time. Dont worry it will be more fully explained later on, including just how the watchers oppress Voidkind. Anyways I hope I can sort out this messy lore a bit before next chapter.


	12. Explaining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ex talks about watchers and how they work. They form a plan

"No."

All pairs of eyes turned to look at Mumbo, shocked by his sudden serious demeanor.

"You clearly don't understand. Grian is our family. He's my best friend goddamnit. I won't leave without him."

Ex growled quietly, glaring at the noirette. He was already opening his mouth to retort but stopped when Xisuma placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We appreciate your warning, but I must agree. We are too deep into this to turn back now." Xisuma's voice was firm, and he stared down his twin the whole time. "I also believe we are meant to be here. It's more than pure luck that a gateway just so happened to have opened up to this exact place just after we started searching for answers. Something is behind this, supporting us. I wouldn't accidentally cross any higher powers by stopping us if I were you."

Ex smirked at his brother, trying to hide his defeat.

"God I missed our bantering." He sighed. "Fine, I get it. You aren't leaving. But are you sure you have nothing to lose if it all goes wrong?"

"There's always something to lose. But we have fate on our side, so I believe we don't have to worry about that." Xisuma stated, feeling a sudden boost of determination. 

Ex grinned, long tail lashing.

"Well then, allow me to help. I've wanted to mess up the watcher’s plans for so long." 

\-----------------------------------------------------

"We will probably be here for a while to prepare. Can you tell us a bit more about the watchers? We need as much information as we can get." 

Ex huffed as he locked eyes with his brother. 

"Always the prepared one aren't you?" He jeered.

"Actually we're basically going into this blind. Anything you can tell us will be extremely useful." Cub stated matter-of-factedly.

The voidkind rolled his eyes, but began explaining anyways.

“Long ago, the watchers arrived in the deep end. There were nine of them; the creator, the destroyer, the animator, the archivist, the tactician, the berserker, the ambassador, the entertainer, and most importantly, the overseer. Together they sought out to create their own empire, enslaving races and taking all that they could find for their selfish needs. Civilizations fell, entire species disappeared, so much life was taken. The voidkind are but one of their many victims. They enslaved us, cut our wings to make sure we didn't escape, and forced us to do their dirty work. This is the fate our family shared for eons. It was only until fairly recently that the tenth watcher joined their ranks, the one you know as Grian. He was different at first, kind even, but then he became just like the rest; cold and unforgiving. Then one day he just disappeared. Nobody knew where he went. The watchers were absolutely furious, taking out their rage on any innocent bystander. But now he is back, and they have returned to normal. I haven’t seen much of him around the castle lately, he is probably still too distraught to do his duties.”

Ex tilted his head, white hair falling on his face. "You sure are strange for wanting to help him, but who am I to judge?"

The hermits sat in an uncomfortable silence.

"He would do the same for us." Mumbo said, clenching his fist. A few heads nodded slowly.

"Alright sure. Maybe he would." Ex replied, clearly doubtful. "So do you have a plan?" 

Xisuma coughed.

"Well we were going to assess the situation first and then act accordingly." He said, twiddling his thumbs. "But currently I have no idea what to do."

"Then maybe I can help." Ex smirked. "I do know their fortress' walls inside and out after all, working as a guard." 

Xisuma grinned back. "Then what can you tell us?"

The voidkind took a dagger from its holster and carved out a vague outline of a building on the floorboards. The more he moved the blade across, the more vivid the diagram became. Rooms upon rooms, twisted corridors, and large ballrooms sprung up left and right. Ex lifted the dagger and pointed with his other hand.

"This is the main entrance. Its the most watched over area so there's no point even trying to get in through there. We can however…" his finger trailed to the other side. "...use this small culvert in the wall. It's typically used for garbage and sewage disposal, so it hangs directly above the void. Once we get in, it should lead us to the hall just besides the kitchen. This is where the fae comes in." 

He points to Stress. She sits up immediately, clearly surprised. Iskall crosses his arms and glares at ex.

"Me? What for?" She asks, now more curious than anything.

"You adapt to environments right? Already your skin has paled considerably, and you are developing some features voidkind have used to survive." She traces her fingers over her ears, which have already lengthened to a small point and lets out a small gasp. 

"If you keep it up, you may just be able to pass as a fledgling Voidkind. You can then go under a disguise as a maid and pretend to be delivering something to the watcher's chambers, that being your excuse as to why you're on the west wing in the first place. I can go in as extra muscle and maybe one other person who will be my 'prisoner' I am escorting to the dungeons. All watchers should be at their usual stations during that time, giving us a smooth path to their chambers. From there, we can enter Grian's room and try to convince him to come with you guys."

Xisuma nodded slowly. It was risky, and he realized how much he relied on just the word of his brother, but they had to at least try.

"Alright but what about the rest of us?" He asked.

"Someone needs to stay behind and guard the rift you guys came through. If anyone discovers it that will be the end for sure. We also need a lookout from outside to see if anyone is following us."

Ex's eyes flashed with mirth. "With any luck, we just might make it out alive."

"Alright! I've done more risky! Let's do this!" Ren exclaimed, clearly excited. False raised her sword and whooped. Iskall, Scar, and Stress joined in, a bright glint in their eyes. Ex lunged and clamped False's mouth shut.

"Shhhhh! We can't draw attention to ourselves now! Be quiet!"

"Sorry…" She said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. The others looked around embarrassed behind her.

"Now, we just have to wait for her to shift a bit more." Xisuma looked at Stress, who nodded weakly. "Then we sneak in and get Grian."

He hesitates.

"If he decides to go back with us that is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just spent almost an hour trying to get an earring out help. I'm dying


	13. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is innitiated

It had been an entire 24 hours before Stress was fully ready. From her head grew simbelmynë, tiny white flowers found in the void. Her hands turned black and grew claws, her eyes became deeper purple with milky pupils and her ears even more elongated. Her gossamer fae wings morphed too. They turned pale purple and lost their intricate design. Iskall remarked that they looked a lot like an elytra, just more shiny.

"That's because elytras are Voidkind hatchling's wings." Ex had explained to the hermits. "Once they molt, the elytra falls off revealing the true wings. We would just leave them behind because they weren't of any use anymore."

Xisuma noted the way Ex spoke in past tense and wondered if he had possessed wings once himself. Or if he had any voidkind abilities or features in general. Was it possible to get them back? But now he just stared at his twin, observing the grief flicking through his face as he told them about the wings Ex had lost, taken away by the Watchers.

What else did they take? How many suffered in their arrogant hands? What was Grian even doing with them? Is he their prisoner or did he join on his own accord? Countless questions swam across the admin's mind, and he had to stop himself before he got all worked up. Everything would work out. They would be one big family again. He was sure of it.

"So is it time then?" Cub asked. Xisuma looked to Ex, who nodded. 

"Yes, we've waited long enough. It's time to start our plan." He stated, raising a sword. "It's time to get Grian back!" 

\----------------

Four hermits and one Voidkind made their way to the end city, a heavy silence upon all of them as dread for what was yet to come found its way into their hearts. 

They could see it now, high towers surrounded by thick walls of impenetrable stone; the Watcher's home.  
Stress idly brushed some dust off her blouse as a feeble attempt to focus on anything but the imposing buildings making their way into the group's field of vision.

Iskall glanced at Stress, noticing how pale her face was, how she looked anywhere but their destination. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry. You'll do great."

Warm magenta eyes now swirled with rich violet met his one good hazel one, and a grateful smile appeared on her lips. Iskall smiled back reassuringly.

Xisuma checked and rechecked his communicator. "Just checking in on everyone back home' he had told a skeptical Ex, who simply rolled his eyes.

Mumbo however kept his gaze on the fortress, determined to not let his cowardice get to him. He had to brave this out. Grian would face it head on by himself for Mumbo; he was sure of that.

He was aware of the big chances that they might not get him back. Too dangerous, risk of hurting others, Grian refusing to leave… Grian wanting to-

No. That was stupid. Stupid thought. Grian would never be a cold monster like the rest of these watchers he had learned so much about. The Grian Mumbo knew was selfless, compassionate, kind. He didn't, he can't take pleasure in this. Sure he likes pranks but he wouldn't actively enjoy hurting others right? Right. Stupid thoughts. Grian wouldn't, he-

Mumbo looked up to see a wall of purpur mere inches from his face. He glanced up in surprise and paled at the sight.

They were here. 

Intricately carved arches and statues adorned by sturdy walls reaching up as high as he could see. Tower upon tower soared into the heavens, each decorated with impeccable detail. Not a single brick was out of place or sloppily put in. It was stunning. And it all screamed one word: Grian. 

He had built this, Mumbo was sure of it.

Looking further along the outer wall, he spotted exactly what Ex had mentioned. It was just a small metal drain, a small trickle of water leaking out into a stream that eventually ran over the edge of the end island. It was their entrance.

"Everyone remember their roles?" Xisuma asked. Everyone nodded. They had gone over them multiple times along the way, Xisuma checking and double checking that everyone knew what to do, probably to calm his own nerves. 

"Right. Then this is it. Remember, we can't linger too long. If Grian refuses to leave, we have no choice but to leave him behind. It's Too risky." The admin explained. Mumbo frowned deeply at this, but nodded. 

"Do not cause suspicion." Ex added, stressing every word. "If you feel in the slightest bit of danger, do not hesitate to get out immediately. Watchers are ruthless and cruel. You'll be lucky to end up in the dungeon for only a few centuries."

"We don't even live that long." Iskall gazed nervously at Ex, who laughed.

"They'll figure something out, don't worry."

None of the hermits chose to comment on this.

Still chuckling, Ex approached the metal bars and tugged. Mumbo only stared in shock as they came free on his third pull. The Voidkind held it up and smirked, before setting it down on the Dusty ground and patting Stress on the back.

"Ladies first." He chuckled, a fiery glint in his eye. Stress glanced up nervously, but then crawled in without a word. Xisuma was quick to follow, then Iskall, Mumbo, and finally Ex. 

The tunnels were cramped and smelled of sewage, but no one dared speak a word purely out of fear. If they were caught now, this whole expedition would be a complete waste and would jeopardize their lives. 

So they kept crawling. 

Finally, Stress stopped and whisper-shouted to the rest of the group.

"It ends here. I can see an empty room on the other side. Do I open the hatch?" 

After Ex's response of 'yes' travelled back to her, she slowly poked her hand through and undid the latch. One by one, the groups stumbled out into the new room and brushed off the gunk now stuck to their clothing. 

"Alright," Ex stated once everyone was ready and regrouped. "Lets begin."

"Ooooh now I'm curious~ Do tell, what is happening? I'd love to hear what you have to say~"

The color drained from everyone's faces as they turned to the sixth person in the room standing with them.

Standing just outside the doorway, sneering directly at them, was a Watcher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I guess. 
> 
> Also im really excited because the next chapter is goung to be one of the first scenes I thought of when originally coming up with this story. Haha i love angst ;)


	14. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hermits have to face some watchers, who have a little more up their sleeves than anyone thought.

Xisuma barely had a chance to react before the watcher lunged at them, gloved hand reaching for his neck. Ex quickly fired an arrow, embedding itself deep In the limb. The watcher screeched, thrashing its wings wildly as it moved to tear out the arrow. 

Iskall took this moment to charge foreward and slice the beast in the shoulder. Where red would gush out normally, a stream of silver stained the silk robes instead. While the face of the watcher was obscured, it was no doubt that it was twisted into a painful and enraged expression.

"You've ruined my robes! Nobody can do that to me, the Entertainer, and get away with it!" It snarled as it clutched its shoulder, silver dripping down its gloves.

It took a step back, and there was no warning before it let out a cry once more, shrill and painful.  
The hermits gasped as they covered their ears while the sound shook the ground they stood on. 

As soon as it started, it stopped. But not instead of one watcher stood four. 

Xisuma's shoulders sagged as he glanced at the imposing figures before them, then at his own group. Other than Ex and Iskall, there weren't really any formidable fighters among them, as Ren, False, Doc, as well as Scar and Cub were left at the tower. 

Which meant that they had visibly no chance of winning against four magical beings of unknown power. 

He'd be damned if they didn't at least try though.

Xisuma made a mad dash for the already injured watcher(the entertainer was it?), hoping for a clean slice on its neck to finish it off. Before he could even make it anywhere near his target, he was flung back against the wall with a great force, knocking the air out of his lungs. 

"How stupid must you be to think you stand any chance against us? You really thought you could come here undetected?" One of them sneered, approaching Xisuma and grabbing his arm. Xisuma's eyes widened as he watched his armour disintegrate where it rested its claws. "We are gods, we see everything. There is no getting past us."

An arrow whizzed past Xisuma's head and hit the watcher on the back of its hand, the only part, Xisuma noticed, that had exposed skin. The watcher removed its hand to grab the arrow, turning it to dust before their eyes. It hissed as it turned to face the one who had hit it. 

"I swear to Blue and Green if one of you tries to touch my brother again I will cut off all of your arms!" Ex snarled, quickly reloading his weapon and firing another round at the watcher. This arrow however never hit its target as it was stopped midair. It spun around and flung itself back at the hermits, narrowly missing Stress, who shrieked.

Mumbo pulled out a potion of slowness and threw it at the watchers, only for it to once again be deflected and thrown at them instead.

Yet another watcher stepped foreward, irritated. 

"That's it! We are ending this now! No more interfering with us! No. More. Hermits."

It raised a hand and suddenly, the hermits were staring at colorful shops selling any block you could think of. 

They were in Hermitcraft.

Five thuds and a yelp followed shortly after, and all of the rescue group was suddenly reunited.

"Xisuma? What's going on? Why are we home?" Scar asked hesitantly. There was fear and confusion on everyone's face.

Tango approached them from the shops. "You guys are back already?" The demon asked, clearly surprised. His red eyes scanned the group for a red clad member, widening when they landed on Ex. "You're not Grian. Where is he?"

Silence washed over the group. Xisuma clenched his fists, not daring to look anyone in the eye. Not daring to tell him that they didn't even find him. Not daring to say they failed.

"He won't ever come back here. We'll make sure of that~" A voice that sounded as sweet as poison spoke up. Xisuma felt his blood freeze.

_Nononono not here please not here- ___

__Then everything was engulfed in purple flame._ _

__Xisuma stared in horror at shops his family worked so hard on were burning before his eyes. The mall, the rocket shop, Sahara, all of it was on fire. That was hours of work. That was countless memories. That was their home._ _

__He barely registered the sobs and screams around him, barely heard the cruel laughter. He didn't even feel the buzzing of his communicator or how empty the shopping district suddenly became as everyone rushed to get to water. All he felt was heat on his skin and something inside of him shattering as he watched the spreading destruction._ _

__He felt tugging on his sleeve.  
"Xisuma! Come on dude! We need to go!" Ren screamed, his eyes impossibly wide as they reflected the fire around them._ _

__He found his feet moving involuntarily along as he was dragged away, but then stopped. Someone was screaming for help. And It was coming from Sahara._ _

__Without so much as a second thought, Xisuma bolted towards the store, ignoring Ren's shouts behind him._ _

__The lobby was collapsing. Bits of beams from the ceiling were crashing down and the floor had gaping holes. But he could hear the pleas louder now, coming from a pile of burning rubble._ _

__He began taking the pile apart, starting from the top as to not make it all shift and crush the person underneath. Soon he revealed a burnt hand under a wooden board, and from then he uncovered TFC. Part of his beard was completely singed off and he was coughing profusely. But his leg remained stuck under a beam. Xisuma tried lifting It, but it wouldn't budge. He felt the heat creep closer._ _

__"Ju-just leave me. I'm not worth it." TFC choked out, trying to push the admin away, but Xisuma was having none of it._ _

__"I'm not leaving you here to die!" He screamed, feeling something wet roll down his cheek. He couldn't lose more of what was his, he couldn't._ _

__As if by a miracle, the floor just under the foot gave out, leaving a space to drag the man out of the rubble._ _

__Xisuma blanched at the sight of crimson leaving a trail behind the foot, but he did his best to ignore it for now. They would deal with this later. Now he focused on picking up the old man on his back and carrying him to safety._ _

__As they left the building, the front collapsed completely behind them. A calloused hand clenched his shoulder tightly and he heard a soft 'thank you' in his ear. Xisuma didn't say anything._ _

__"You're alright!" Ren called out as he made it to the shore. All the hermits had gathered by the shore, some fully in the water, most sobbing together. Joe quickly approached and Xisuma set TFC down on the sand. The man quickly began assessing the burns and injuries the elder possessed, a somber look on his face. Joe stood up and turned away from TFC, who was wheezing and grasping sand desperately._ _

__"It looks really bad. I don't know if he's going to make it." Joe whispered quietly. Xisuma just stared blank faced as his gaze passed each hermit. From TFC, who was horribly burned and possibly dying, to Joe who suddenly looked 30 years older, to Stress, who clutched onto Iskall like a lifeline as she sobbed and sobbed, Doc angrily shouting at the sky to the point his throat no doubt hurt, Bdubs who tried to calm down the German, Cleo who was assessing both Biffa and Wels, Jevin desperately trying to make a crying Keralis laugh, Tango, Zedaph, and Impulse holding onto each other as if they were afraid one may slip away at any moment, False, who was coughing horribly, no doubt from inhaling smoke, Ren who curled in on himself in a feeble attempt to calm down, Python humming a tune to try and distract himself from the fire, Ex standing unnoticed on the sand, and Mumbo looking devoid of any emotion as he stared at Grian's base crumbling before them, calm water lapping at his feet._ _

__He brought this suffering to them. It was all his fault._ _

__All heads turned to look up when giggling sounded from above. The four watchers from before were hovering in the air._ _

__"Well that was certainly fun! I hadn't enjoyed myself this much in decades!" The entertainer laughed, the others nodding behind him._ _

__"But now comes the best part." The one with the decaying hand ability spoke up. "And you've made it so much easier seeing as you've all bunched together."_ _

__Each watcher held out a hand, purple flames blooming from their palms._ _

__Subconsciously, the hermits moved even closer together, Xisuma taking his place in the front of them all. He could feel all the fear coming off of them. He wanted to say something reassuring. To do something, anything. But he stood still and looked the entertainer in the eye._ _

__"May you never interrupt our plans with the successor again." He announced, raising his hand. The others followed suit._ _

__Xisuma closed his eyes, awaiting his demise._ _

__"Wait!"_ _

__The watchers froze, extinguishing their flames._ _

__Behind them, stood two new watchers._ _

__One was giant, looming over the old watchers, with an heir of authority about them._ _

__The other was much smaller, still cloaked and hooded, with purple wings, but Xisuma could recognize that voice anywhere._ _

__Grian lifted his hood, and his two pairs of eyes turned to the tallest watcher._ _

__"Please. Spare them." He begged, kneeling before them._ _

__The tallest watcher remained silent._ _

__"If, if you let them live, I'll make sure they never bother you again. I'll make sure they forget about me and move on. You'd never see them again. Just spare them. Please, I beg of you, Great Overseer."_ _

__"Grian! What are you doing?!" Mumbo yelled, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. Grian looked back at the hermits._ _

__"I'm doing what needs to be done, I'm sorry." He turned to face the Overseer. "I promise I will do this if you let them go. Please."_ _

__Grian bowed his head even lower as the watcher contemplated his proposal._ _

__"Very well, and I will even give them a new world seeing as this one is completely destroyed BUT," everyone held their breath at the added term. "You must promise to be fully loyal from now on. No more rebelling. No more sneaking off. You will do what we ask without any questions. You will carry through with our original plans."_ _

__"No way! You can't do that! Grian!" Mumbo cried out, reaching for his friend._ _

__"I promise." Grian spoke, and the smirk on the overseers face was practically audible._ _

__"Grian!"_ _

__And suddenly they were on a small island surrounded by sea. In the distance, a giant mushroom island could be seen._ _

__

__

__Mumbo fell to his knees and sobbed._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry for the long wait. I kinda moved fandom. And then came back. It was wierd. 
> 
> This was one of the first scenes i thought of when thinking of this au so i really enjoyed finally writing it down. 
> 
> We are about halfway done with the story I think
> 
> Also!!! Please comment because I have very little idea as to what people like about this story and what i should change. I just need feedback, to know if people actually enjoy this or not. Thank you!


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